{"id":15301,"date":"2023-07-24T18:37:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpatacabamcdev.wpengine.com\/?page_id=15301"},"modified":"2023-07-25T17:30:40","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T17:30:40","slug":"rule-9-advertising-and-solicitation-what-is-misleading-marketing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cpata-cabamc.ca\/en\/your-practice\/professional-conduct\/ethical-analyses-and-guidance-old\/rule-9-advertising-and-solicitation-what-is-misleading-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Rule 9 \u2013 Advertising and solicitation \u2013 what is misleading marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Licensees and their firms need to be aware that the <\/span>Code of Professional Conduct<\/span><\/a> (the \u201cCode\u201d) has rules with respect to advertising and solicitation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The following scenario and analysis consider the ethical obligations with respect to advertising and what that means for licensees and firms when they are soliciting work.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Scenario <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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An IP firm run by licensees sends out a form letter to<\/span> client<\/span> leads generated from their website. <\/span>The form letter <\/span>states<\/span>, without qualifying, that<\/span> the firm <\/span>\u201chas an 80% success rate\u201d and \u201ccan fast track <\/span>any application\u201d.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Rules <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Principle of the rules with respect to advertising in the <\/span>Code<\/span><\/a> states that\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

An agent may advertise services and fees or otherwise solicit work if the advertisement is\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

  1. demonstrably true, accurate and verifiable; and\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
    1. not misleading, confusing or deceptive or likely to mislead, confuse or deceive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      The rules state that the agent \u201cmust not use any description that suggests that they or another individual in their firm has academic or professional qualifications that they do not possess.\u201d The Commentary to that rule provides a public interest justification for the prohibition, stating that \u201cClients often seek an agent with a certain background or certain skills. Those clients must not be misled by an agent holding out themselves or other members of their firm as having skills that they do not possess.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      Rule 9-2 reiterates the principle of the rules with respect to advertising, providing, in part that \u201cIn all cases, the representations made must be accurate (that is, demonstrably true) and must not be misleading.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      Rule 9-3 provides that the practice \u201cmust not indicate by way of advertisement, letterhead or otherwise that they have a professional office at a specified location if that is not, in fact, the case.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      Rule 9-4 provides that the practice may only advertise its fees if\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      1. the advertising is reasonably precise as to the services offered for each fee quoted;\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
        1. the advertisement states whether other amounts, such as disbursements and taxes, will be added to the fees; and\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
          1. the agent strictly adheres to the advertised fees in all applicable respects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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            CPATA\u2019s Guidance <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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            The rules with respect to advertising require that the advertisement is \u201cdemonstrably true, accurate and verifiable\u201d. The firm, by not qualifying where it has gotten its 80% success rate statistic from \u2013 e.g. was this of all applications the firm had before CIPO or just a certain type of application, etc. \u2013 has made a statement that is not verifiable. This statement does not necessarily offend the rules in the <\/span>Code<\/span><\/a>, but it does give rise to the question of whether the statement meets the requirements that the advertisement be \u201cdemonstrably true, accurate and verifiable\u201d and the statement may need to be qualified in order to bring it in line with the rules in the <\/span>Code<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

            These considerations may also apply to the phrase, \u201ccan fast track any application\u201d. Again, without qualifying language, this statement may be \u201cmisleading, confusing or deceptive\u201d and run afoul of the rules with respect to advertising.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

            Licensees need to be aware that the rules with respect to advertising in the <\/span>Code<\/span><\/a> set out a higher threshold than mere truth. Licensees must ensure their advertising is <\/span>demonstrably<\/span><\/i> true, accurate and verifiable and that it is not even \u201c<\/span>likely<\/span><\/i> to mislead, confuse or deceive.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

            Ultimately each licensee has to decide what the correct course of action is that will protect client interests and adhere to their professional obligations. Every circumstance is unique and it is up to the licensee to exercise their own professional judgement.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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            Are you a Licensee with a Question about your Professional Obligations? Contact CPATA.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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            We invite you to contact us with your ethics questions <\/span><\/span>online<\/span><\/span><\/a>. <\/span>T<\/span>hrough the Ethics Inquiry process, CPATA\u2019s professional conduct experts are available to help interpret the <\/span><\/span>Code<\/span><\/span><\/a> as part of the process of risk-assessment and ethical analysis.<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Licensees and their firms need to be aware that the Code of Professional Conduct (the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":6974,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-15301","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRule 9 \u2013 Advertising and solicitation \u2013 what is misleading marketing - 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